Fondling charges come to naught

AN independent panel of investigators has instructed the City of Windhoek to reinstate its suspended deputy traffic chief, Eliphas !Owos-Oab.

!Owos-Oab confirmed to The Namibian on Wednesday that he was called in by the City’s Chief Executive Officer Niilo Taapopi, who broke the news to him and said he must report back for duty once the City of Windhoek was informed about the latest development. “I told him that there are some pertinent issues I must discuss with my lawyer first before we take the next step.It is clear that there were people who wanted to get rid of me in a hurry but they were proven wrong,” !Owos-Oab said.He was on suspension with pay and faced five charges, among them an allegation of fondling a woman in June 2005 and allegedly promising her a job by telling her: “If you look after me, I will look after you”.!Owos-Oab denied all the charges through his lawyer, Richard Metcalfe, amid claims that he was a victim of a witch-hunt and that his job had been reserved for someone else.In the first charge, the City said !Owos-Oab disobeyed an instruction given by his senior Abraham Kanime on November 28 in 2005.Kanime instructed him in writing to implement an action plan for the improvement of the traffic management unit’s performance through specified projects led by selected officers, but !Owos-Oab allegedly disobeyed the instruction.Between November 2005 and March last year, the City claimed, !Owos-Oab withdrew various notifications and summonses issued without authorisation.Request for cancellations, according to the charges, were either to be submitted to the Office of the Prosecutor General or Kanime had to be consulted.Alternatively, he failed to effectively manage or keep proper control over traffic notices or summonses issued by the traffic management unit.Another charge said that in June 2005 !Owos-Oab “touched the upper thigh of your female passenger, Ms Victoria Kavendjima, and told her ‘if you look after me, I will look after you’ whilst the two of you were discussing her possible employment with the Windhoek Municipal Police Service.”On another occasion in January or February last year, the City charged, !Owos-Oab allegedly “propositioned, in a disgraceful, improper or unbecoming manner, a female, Ms Hendrina Shikedule, in the corridor at the Namibian Police head offices”, while he was on duty.The independent panel said all the charges either lacked substance or there was no evidence and instructed Taapopi to reinstate !Owos-Oab with immediate effect.!Owos-Oab said the outcome was a “heavy burden off my shoulders”.When the charges were initiated against him, !Owos-Oab warned his employers against the consequences of their action.!Owos-Oab used the time away from the office to study public management at the Polytechnic of Namibia.”I told him that there are some pertinent issues I must discuss with my lawyer first before we take the next step.It is clear that there were people who wanted to get rid of me in a hurry but they were proven wrong,” !Owos-Oab said.He was on suspension with pay and faced five charges, among them an allegation of fondling a woman in June 2005 and allegedly promising her a job by telling her: “If you look after me, I will look after you”. !Owos-Oab denied all the charges through his lawyer, Richard Metcalfe, amid claims that he was a victim of a witch-hunt and that his job had been reserved for someone else.In the first charge, the City said !Owos-Oab disobeyed an instruction given by his senior Abraham Kanime on November 28 in 2005.Kanime instructed him in writing to implement an action plan for the improvement of the traffic management unit’s performance through specified projects led by selected officers, but !Owos-Oab allegedly disobeyed the instruction.Between November 2005 and March last year, the City claimed, !Owos-Oab withdrew various notifications and summonses issued without authorisation.Request for cancellations, according to the charges, were either to be submitted to the Office of the Prosecutor General or Kanime had to be consulted.Alternatively, he failed to effectively manage or keep proper control over traffic notices or summonses issued by the traffic management unit.Another charge said that in June 2005 !Owos-Oab “touched the upper thigh of your female passenger, Ms Victoria Kavendjima, and told her ‘if you look after me, I will look after you’ whilst the two of you were discussing her possible employment with the Windhoek Municipal Police Service.”On another occasion in January or February last year, the City charged, !Owos-Oab allegedly “propositioned, in a disgraceful, improper or unbecoming manner, a female, Ms Hendrina Shikedule, in the corridor at the Namibian Police head offices”, while he was on duty.The independent panel said all the charges either lacked substance or there was no evidence and instructed Taapopi to reinstate !Owos-Oab with immediate effect.!Owos-Oab said the outcome was a “heavy burden off my shoulders”.When the charges were initiated against him, !Owos-Oab warned his employers against the consequences of their action.!Owos-Oab used the time away from the office to study public management at the Polytechnic of Namibia.